


Here and Now

by Wilson66



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Angst with a Happy Ending, Begins with Ben Solo/Kaydel, Ben and Rey swear a little, Crylo I love you, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kaydel is a bitch, Love Confessions, Love/Hate, Past Relationship(s), Teenage Sweethearts, Weddings, rey is a baker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-06-30 07:36:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19848538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wilson66/pseuds/Wilson66
Summary: Ben Solo returns home to Hanna city to marry his fiance Kaydel Ko Connix-Snoke from New York but when a last-minute meeting with the baker who is set to create the wedding cake hurtles a face from Ben's past back into his future, the impending nuptials could be at risk.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For the Crylo members, who break our Swolo hearts with tears and angst. 
> 
> This prompt was created in the depths of Swolo HQ by the lovely @MyJediLife:
> 
> Here's an angsty prompt, worthy of a Crylo: Rey is the best wedding cake decorator in Hanna City. She is tasked with making the cake for the wedding of Senator Leia Organa-Solo's son, Ben. Ben's bride to be is demanding, and when Ben lays eyes on the cake decorator, meaning to soothe her and apologize for his fiance's behaviour - he realizes he may not be marrying the right girl after all.  
> *I added that Rey and Ben were childhood sweethearts for extra angst!*
> 
> To the amazing @azuwrite for the beta & moodboard and the fabulous @dagagada for her help in planning this story out 
> 
> Hope you enjoy ♡♡

[ ](https://ibb.co/J3vQ2zT)

Kaydel’s hand tightens around his own, her platinum engagement ring digging into the skin of his finger as she practically drags him to the newest addition to the town Ben grew up in. He shouldn’t be surprised that the place changed, especially with Hanna town’s mayor being the formidable woman Ben knew his mother was.

The place looked great, the hard work since Leia became in charge was obvious with how the main street was bustling with activity, all storefronts open with gleaming glass and seemingly freshly painted wood that complimented the red brick walls. The changes stand out more for Ben, seeing as he hadn’t stepped foot back home in over ten years, his nearly upon him nuptials the reason for his return and rocky truce with both his parents.

The latest edition stands proudly on the corner of the street, vibrant plants stand on either side of the door, the name in a font that would make a calligrapher weep for joy on the glass entrance that Kaydel leads him to.

_Here and Now_

A strange name for a bakery in a small town like Hanna, but by the delicious mixture of desserts behind the deserted counter, the thought of the name slips from Ben’s mind.

Kaydel instantly loosens her grip when she hears the door close behind them, Ben aware that he’s slowly enraging his bride to be with the lack of enthusiasm about the impending nuptials.

_Stupidly impending nuptials… like tomorrow kind of nuptials._

To begin with, Ben had believed weddings just weren’t his thing, he had thrown half of his bonus on the engagement and he supposed all his effort and thought had been used up with the gesture.

He had met Kaydel when he moved to New York, the first week in college, researching her father Alistair Snoke’s firm when he had been blindsided by the petite blonde, making a sophomore cry in the reception due to some stupid reason he never dared to ask over, and she had been there when her daddy offered him the keys to his career, fresh out of school.

Because she helped him forget, Kaydel was cold and materialistic. Her blonde hair glowed like the twenty-four-carat engagement ring Ben had proposed with six months ago on top of the Eiffel tower. In her designer clothes and no shit attitude, Kaydel fit perfectly in the life and style the young Solo had carved for himself in New York.

He had hoped for a small, quiet ceremony in New York, but he hadn’t gotten engaged to just anyone, he had asked Kaydel Konnix-Snoke to be his wife and from the decade in New York and the five years working at Alistair Snoke’s law firm, he learned that family didn’t do anything small or quiet.

It was the reason he was back home in the first place, a deal with a magazine that had won the rights to publish every detail of the circus that this wedding had become and when Snoke had called Ben into his office six months ago and suggested how better it would look if they could show America how a small-town boy had grown to a man of the city.

Kaydel had suddenly decided to have the wedding here in Ben’s hometown...

“Can you imagine the amount of calories is in just one bite of these?” The disgust was evident in Kaydel’s tone as she stabs the pristine glass with her pointed fingernail, “But _what’s a wedding without a cake?_ ” Her tone mocking the barely polite conversation from that morning at breakfast between herself and the matriarch of the Solo family.

“Kay, give it a rest.” Ben can’t help but feel the itch of his skin at being in this environment, desserts something he no longer enjoys as the memory of someone important to him ruining all things sweet haunts him still.

“HELLO!” His fiance ignores him, slamming her left hand hard against the counter, the underside of her ring scrapping on the glass. “Does anyone actually work here?”

“Oh, sorry, be out in a sec!” It’s like a bucket of ice is thrown down the back of Ben’s shirt, goosebumps broke out across his skin at the accented reply given through the back of the shop. 

He’s in stasis, two sides of himself battling it out to either stay or run away. But he has to know if it’s just dumb luck or a cruel twist of fate, and as if by magic, she appears.

Brown hair in the same three bun style she always wore it, wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans under a bright red apron that makes Ben in his pressed suit feel overly dressed. He knows she hasn’t noticed him, focused too much on the four-tiered wedding cake she’s guiding towards the counter, every level crisp ivory, decorated with almost lifelike roses and greenery that are almost too beautiful to eat. 

Freckled nose wrinkled in concentration, Ben almost feels her sigh of relief when she finds the base that her masterpiece is settled on. “Now, I worked all day from the notes you sent this morning, Miss Snoke, and I hope this is what you imagined.” 

Hazel eyes finally move up from the wedding cake, a warm smile aimed at Kaydel, who is looking at the creation in front of her with indifference. But it’s when her eyes catch Ben by the door, the smile slipping from her face instantly as she gasps.

“Ben?”

_Then_

A plate full of Rey’s latest baked cupcakes sits on the bedside cabinet at the side of Ben’s queen size bed, that she’s still not certain he ever fitted in, the door ajar after Leia, not too subtlety, brought said plate of goodies up after Rey and Ben had left both his parents their own cupcakes to test out.

Nestled in his arms, her head rested against his chest with his heartbeat slowly lulling her to sleep. His voice catches her from her snooze, both the timber that seems to deepen with every month and the vibrations from inside of his chest. “Do you ever think about what our lives are going to be like when we finish high school?” 

A soft sigh of content escapes her when Rey thinks about the future, for the first time in her life she dares to hope. “All the time,” answering truthfully, she pulls herself up to lean over Ben. “You are going to be a world-famous photographer with all your artistic photos on every cover of those stylish magazines.” 

A snort escapes him, the praise flushing his cheeks a colour Rey was quickly found to be her favourite. His hand moved to brush the hair dangling in Rey’s face before gently cupping her cheek. “And you?”

“I’ll own my own bakery, where all the people that see your pictures in those fancy magazines come and buy their fancy treats.”

“This place doesn’t sound like it fits in Hanna town,” Ben mumbles gently before pulling Rey back down towards him, his lips gently pressing against her own.

“Then we’ll move somewhere that does fit.”

“Like?”

“Anywhere, London? Paris? New York?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Rey places a gentle kiss on the side of his nose, the dreams of the future making her smile for the first time in her life, her arm stretching over his skinny chest. “But right now, let's focus on the here and now.” 

“To the here and now,” Rey grumbles when Ben moves underneath her, her comfort disturbed by him stretching to grab something off the side. With one hand brushing the hair from her face, she nestles closer into the warmth of his chest, barely hearing him whisper, “Smile,” and completely oblivious to the flash of the camera.

_Now_

“Do you two know each other?” Kaydel’s voice rips Ben’s mind from the memory, his mind jumbled by long lost kisses and happier times. Shocked eyes move from Rey’s own back to his fiance, words failing as he opens his mouth to speak before moving back to stare at Rey.

“Umm, y-yeah.” Rey’s stuttered reply knocks Ben from his trance, the immense relief of seeing her again washed away by the reminder of their last interaction.

“Yeah,” Ben gestures to Rey, his eyes moving back to Kaydel’s suspicious own. “We went to high school together.” 

While Rey replies, "We were friends."

Another awkward silence, which makes Ben consider if he could just bolt from the building, the lack of caring if either woman would notice dwindling with the tick of the grandfather clock in the corner.

"You look great," Rey gestures to him, and he can't help the slight blush that he feels bloom when she seems to linger after what would usually be deemed appropriate.

"Congratulations on the big day," she adds as an afterthought.

"Thank you." Kaydel smiles, instantly moving between Ben and Rey's sight of each other, her left hand extended close to Rey's nose. "It's beautiful, isn't it? My Ben spared no expense on making sure I got the best, but when you're an up and coming lawyer in New York's finest firm, it's not too difficult."

"That's great," Rey replies, easily smiling over Kaydel's head at Ben, giving her the chance to notice that he hasn't moved.

"Thanks… ugh, I see you opened your own shop, just like you always wanted." Ben turns, taking in the rest of the store, noticing the sparks of colour mixed with the simplicity and functionality that screamed Rey's style.

"A store in Hanna?" Kaydel scoffs a snigger escape that quickly dies when she turns to Ben. "That was your dream?"

"Have to start somewhere," Rey can't help but bite back, her fingers clutching at her side of the counter, "but who knows, maybe I'll expand to London, Paris, or..."

"New York?" Ben finishes, picking up a photography magazine left in the small seating area Rey's business has to offer her customers.

"Maybe someday." Rey smiles, it barely meets her eyes as she nods towards the magazine still clutched in Ben's hand.

"Do you still get time to photograph with your busy schedule these days?"

"Ben doesn't photograph, I don't think I've seen him with a camera." Ben notices the way Rey's eyes meet his, he knows he should be focusing on his wife-to-be, rather than the girl behind the counter, but he can't help but struggle, and he can't help the sharp intake of breath when he hears Rey's reply.

"He used to."

Kaydel scoffs, her fake nails scraping across the glass as she inspects the masterpiece in icing and sponge before her. "This is a great start Rey, but I think we can do better. I've literally been scouring New York’s finest bakeries websites this morning and I know that I won't be expecting that kind of standard in Hanna, but it's my big day, so of course, I deserve the best, and I think I've changed my mind on the colours of these petals." The blonde smiled sickly sweet, reminding Rey of the cat from the old Cinderella cartoon. "That wouldn't be too much trouble, would it?"

_Then_

The sound of Ben’s camera hitting the carpeted floor rouses Rey from her sleep, his arm still limply holding her against him while his chest rose and fell with every breath while the Disney film, Cinderella, plays in the background, something that Ben had offered to watch when he found out Rey had never seen it.

Pulling slowly away, she struggled to contain the smile at the sight, the black hair she adored to run her fingers through when he bent down to kiss her goodbye before class, those full lips that would stretch into the brightest smile she had ever seen whenever she slid her latest sugary concoctions in his direction and how they would be full of praise of her creations and gently kiss her own, with a tinge of sugar adding to that already perfect flavour.

Rey didn’t have many things in life, the brightest spots being that of school and Ben. Gently, she rose from her position, already missing his warmth and the safety of being in his arms. 

Tiptoeing down the stairs, attempting to put on the blue and white coat she had been gifted at Christmas by Ben. “Rey, are you ok?” Sucking in a painful breath, Leia’s concerned voice calling from the door of the kitchen startling the teen, causing her to pull at the tender muscle of her ribs, her panicked hazel gaze meeting Leia’s concerned one as her mind struggled to create a decent enough lie.

As if moving towards a spooked animal, hands raised in a placating gesture, a dark look crosses Leia’s features. “Rey, I need you to tell me, right now, what is wrong with your side?”

“No, Mrs Solo, please.” The quiet sob pulls at her side, the pain like a beacon to Leia’s concerned eyes.

“Please, sweetheart, tell me what happened?” She reaches Rey’s orbit, the young girl falling into her arms as sobs racked her aching body. The only thing Leia manages to make out is Rey begging her.

“Please, don’t tell Ben.”

_Now_

Rey’s fingers fumbled with the keys, finally finding the correct one and huffing a sigh of relief as the door to her apartment opened. The rain had begun an hour before closing, the drops and thunderstorm a perfect metaphor for the emotions burning up inside of her.

_Ben_

After all these years, he had walked back into her life, stumbled straight into her store like all her fantasies rolled into one. He looked great; ebony hair that shone like the most expensive silk skimmed the collar of his pressed, expensive-looking shirt and navy-coloured suit jacket. Both materials seemingly struggling to cover the sheer expanse of chest and shoulders underneath, while time had allowed him to grow into his unusual features, making them fit perfectly.

But he had always been perfect to Rey.

_Stop!_

Her subconscious demands as she abandons her shoes by the door, the lamp she bought at the local thrift store illuminating the one-bedroom apartment in a welcoming light. The walls were painted with random colours, the palette of the entire apartment was a designer’s worst nightmare, but this space and the business underneath it had been Rey’s first taste of freedom. Rey’s past had been a constant lack of colour, she wasn’t about to let her present be the same.

But the past hasn't always been bad, memories of her first and only love flashed before her mind, not helped by his reappearance and that of his bitch of a fiance. Shrugging her blue and white plaid coat she’d owned for so long off and on its respective peg, Rey attempted to get ahold of her jealousy.

It was pointless to deny it and really what would it do to attempt to lie to herself? She was jealous, she knew it and she was pretty sure that beautiful, blonde and fair-to-perfection, Kaydel soon-to-be Solo Konnix-Snoke, knew it. The way she had smiled so sweetly, Rey was sure her award-winning icing wouldn’t be able to compete when she had found out Ben and Rey had history, how she had practically swung from Ben’s arm when Rey had been idiotic enough to ask about his life in New York, marking her territory like some pristinely make-upped spider monkey.

No! Rey wasn’t jealous, not at all! The image of the man she couldn’t help dreaming about, beating down her door to sweep her off her feet for the past decade, returning to his home town with a wedding the next day and a soon-to-be wife, who was completely Rey’s opposite in appearance and personality, **was not the reason** she was reaching for the wine in the fridge whilst texting in her large margarita pizza order from the takeout down the street, instead of being an adult and cooking.

She knew tomorrow would be hell, she had already spent an hour after she had calmed down from seeing the “happy couple”, changing the cake to how Kaydel _envisioned_ it before having more emailed through, as the bride-to-be had a _spurt of inspiration!_

The only glimmer of happiness she could find is the fact that Rey could one hundred per cent guarantee that Leia probably hates Kaydel. From the stream of demanding emails and their first meeting, Rey knew that the Solo matriarch would not be a fan. 

A bang at the door pulls Rey from her slightly vindictive thoughts, the thought of Leia and Han upsetting the petite blonde giving her too much satisfaction. 

Grabbing her purse, unlocking the door without even looking through the peephole, a gasp escapes as she stands before a very wet and determined-looking Ben Solo.

_Then_

The knock was like a whisper on the door, the only reason Ben heard it was the insistent bark of Chewie who remained to lie by the fire. All guarding behaviour only stretching where the hairy beast could warm his stomach by the flames, Han and Leia oblivious in the kitchen as they washed up from dinner.

He opened the door and the flicker of fear sparked deep inside, Rey stood on the doorstep, all red-rimmed eyes and pink-tinged nose, still wearing that blue coat he gifted her a few months before. 

Movement at Rey’s side catches Ben’s already filling eyes, confusion and fear mixing at the kind face of an adult he knew wasn’t Rey’s foster father, Plutt. The friendly stranger gently grasping her arm before excusing herself to the car, idling at the bottom of the Solo drive.

“Rey, what’s wrong?” The question comes out as a sob, already mirroring Rey’s silent ones. Her slight body seemed to shudder with every breath before she launches into his arms and pulls him tightly to herself.

“I’m so sorry,” she mumbled against his skin, her tears wetting it and the collar of his shirt. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her in a protective embrace as a fresh wave of emotions ran through him. 

He must not have realised how loud their anguish had gotten, for the concerned noise of his parents joining his side caused Rey to pull away from him. Bloodshot eyes take him in before she stands on her tiptoes, placing a chaste kiss, pulling his hands from her arms, he notices the way her shoulders straighten, a quiet determination that had both awed and inspired him, until Rey shattered his world with two simple words.

“Goodbye Ben.” Her back turns instantly and he’s already at her heels, trying to get her to falter in her step, to explain to him who the woman in the Volvo is and where Rey is planning on going?

He begs, his tears mixing into the rain that he wasn’t even aware had started. He tries to pull her to him, but her slick skin slips through his hands, just like the future they had spent months planning, all the dreams and aspirations fragmenting at this moment. 

When she’s at the door to the car, he refuses to let her shut it, blocking it with his body. “Was this ever real to you, Rey? Did you ever love me?” 

“Then and now,” her reply comes out like a broken sob, feeling the metal of the door digging into his side as her hand grasp the handle, “but you have to let me go.”

He feels his parents hands on him, his mother’s arms pulling him from his place and it feels like he’s stepped into a nightmare. The car door shuts, the rain beating on the roof of the vehicle as it picks up speed towards the end of the street. Han and Leia’s arms try to guide his shivering, a wreck of a body back inside, but Ben refuses to move until the taillights fade from view, not until his heart splinters into pieces when he notices _that Rey never looked back._

_Now_

He’s practically dripping a puddle onto the carpet at his feet, they’ve barely exchanged words since Rey invited him in and offered him a towel to dry himself from the storm that seems to blaze outside. 

Although Rey’s unsure if she would prefer to take her chances out there rather than here with the way Ben’s eyes haven’t stopped taking her in since he sat down on the opposite end of her couch.

He hasn't spoken a word since she gestured for him to sit on the couch he's managing to dwarf, his hands clasped tightly together, so much that Rey can clearly make out the whites of his knuckles from her seat at the other side of the coffee table that started its life as a florist crate.

The clock in the kitchen ticks away, the only hint that time still actually exists and the storm batters against the windows, alerting Rey that the world outside hasn't stopped. 

Her tongue feels like lead, questions she wants to ask, the history she would love to sit and reminisce about, but she can't. She knows more of his life than she wants to admit, how she kept up-to-date with his career through small conversations with his parents, but the Ben Solo that sits before her isn't anything like the Ben she left out in the cold.

He's distant and after all these years, she can still see in his dark brown eyes, he's still hurt.

"When did you come back?" Ben's voice startles her, all thoughts and sense scattering with the noise of his deep tone.

"After, um, after I got my degree a few years back..." 

"Years." His hands tighten against each other, so much so that Rey's concerned about his bones.

"Couldn't drop me a call and let me know you'd been back in that time?" 

"You were in New York."

"I know where I fucking was Rey!" Ben explodes, hands swiping at the magazine's on the coffee table in front of him, sending them sweeping across the floor as he rises to his feet. "I wasn't the one that left in the first place and never looked back."

Rey doesn't move, her eyes stinging with unshed tears as she meets Ben's angry gaze. "I had said goodbye to people before, the utter bullshit that everyone says about keeping in touch and that we'll come back," her voice breaks at the last part, wiping a tear that's balanced on her eyelash, "I wasn't strong enough to risk that you would forget about me."

"So, you forgot me instead?" Rey shakes her head instantly, but she can feel the anger and hurt radiating off him.

"I know what Unker did, mom told me." The anger dims at the mention of Rey's former guardian, Ben not missing the way she flinches at his name. "Why didn't you tell me?" 

"I couldn't risk it."

"What? I thought we told each other everything, but I guess that was just me."

"I didn't want you to lose your temper and ruin your life because of me." The anger ebbs as quickly as it rose, realisation dawning on Ben as to how much Rey suffered so his past self didn't go into the situation all guns blazing and making it worse.

"Go home, Ben." Rey stands, wiping her eyes and gesturing at the door. "You have a big day tomorrow."

He thought his heart broke when Rey left him on the sidewalk, but he's pretty sure it never fully healed. 

Moving to the door, something he recognises from years gone by on the shelf catches his eye. In a cheap love, heart-shaped picture frame with one side painted bright pink and the other painted bright red, sits a photograph that a young version of himself took. His stomach had been full of freshly baked cupcakes, his head had been full of plans for the future and his heart had been full of love for the girl that had fallen asleep on his chest.

He remembered snapping the moment and gifting it to Rey for the following Valentine's.

"Did you ever love me?" The question comes from nowhere, Ben's gaze killing the words on Rey's lips when he spins around to face her. She could lie, should lie under the circumstances, but for some reason, she's not sure her heart can take it.

"Then, now and always." His lips meet hers before she's able to suck in a breath. All the time separating this kiss from the last evaporate between them as their bodies seem to mould together from memory. 

Ben pulls her to him, his kisses more practised and confident than he ever had been as a young man, and as Rey's mind seems to notice the change, reality crawls back in.

Her hand pushes at his toned stomach, she tries to ignore how her mind already listed the comparisons to how he felt the last time she touched him.

"Rey, please," Ben begs, his hands gently cupping her cheeks and guiding her lips back to his own, moulding them back together before Rey finds the strength to pull away from his arms.

"We can't Ben." She pulls from his grasp, her arms wrapping to hold herself together as the familiar feeling of her heart, that she barely stitched up from the last time she kissed Ben, beginning to crack under her ribs.

"Why the hell not? You love me and I love you." Tone earnest, he moves towards her, only stopping when she takes a step back.

"Because downstairs I have a cake that I've spent the past few hours perfecting for your fiance." 

"Rey, please." His hands pressed against the door frame, the rain soaking his back and it's like she's being transported back to an equally terrible night. 

She knows what she has to do, although she can't be sure if she's strong enough to do it.

"You have to let me go, goodbye Ben." The door closes in his face and Rey can't bear to look back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 for our house of tears!
> 
> Thank you to my amazing beta @azuwrites and for the moodboard that is so much nicer than mine!
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone that has read, commented and given kudos. 
> 
> I kiss you all ♡

[ ](https://ibb.co/nnhzCt1)

_ Now _

For what felt like the tenth time, Ben attempted to tie his tie, the soft pink silk failing to fall correctly into place as he avoided his own eyes in the full-length mirror.

They were waiting in one of the rooms in the back of Hanna Town church, the same room that his Uncle Luke had tried to sober his father on the day of his wedding all those years ago.

The way his fingers fumbled around his throat had nothing to do with his late-night visit to his former girlfriend, the red hot shame that built in the pit of his stomach at his actions, but also at the bitter disappointment he felt that Rey had been the one to pull away.

Ben was many things; stubborn with a temper, but not a cheater, until a few hours ago. And the thing that seemed to piss him off the most about himself was that he wanted more.

He cared for Kaydel, they had been together for years but compared to the adoration that Ben felt just by thinking of Rey... His stomach turned as he thought of Kaydel preparing in the twin room at the other side of the altar, how she had preened as her father knocked on the Solo door that morning to whisk his baby girl to a hotel not far away to prepare.

"C' mere kid, or we're going to be here all day." Han's fingers gently knock Ben's away, righting the tie, immediately giving Ben a wink as he chuckles.

"Your mother had me practising for weeks, wanted me to be the greatest best man I could be." Ben joined in the laughter, sure that if he focused enough he could hear his mother's voice speaking to his uncle Luke, who would be officiating the service.

"So, ready to become a married man?" He can't help but bite his lip at Han's question, a mixture of guilt and nausea hitting his stomach and seeming to travel up his windpipe, making it difficult to speak.

"Uh-huh."

"Ben," Han's hands had travelled to his son's shoulders, gently squeezing reassuringly, "are you sure about this?"

"What? I, uh, dad what are you talking about?" He spitters, pulling away from his father's grasp as he stares at his reflection in the mirror, fiddling with the cufflinks to avoid his father's eye.

"Benny, look, Kaydel seems nice..." 

"You don't like her?" Ben scoffs, his father smirks at his son and his questioning softly.

"Do you Ben? Look, I was terrified when I was marrying your mother, your Uncle Luke had to stop me from climbing out of that window," Han gestures to the window, a smile at the memory blooming across his features, "but he gave me some advice."

"Forget about the people, the frills and the flowers and imagine what your life would be like ten, twenty years from now and if you can't imagine your life without the person your about to say ‘I do’ to, then you have nothing to worry about."

It was Ben's turn to pull his father into an embrace, his mind racing to the life he wanted to the life he imagined with Kaydel. "What if it's not that person?"

Han pulled back, his eyes flickering back to the window before gesturing. "Well, we have other options."

A watery laugh escaped Ben, his dad smiling up at him with eyes so much like his own. "What if that person you can only imagine marrying doesn't want you anymore?"

Dawning realisation strikes Han, sighing deeply his hold on Ben tightens for a moment before he releases his breath. "I gotta admit kid, I always imagined it would be Rey you'd get hitched to."

"I know it hurts you when she was taken from Plutt, sack of abusive shit that he was, but I and your mother were shocked when she came back from New York without you."

"Wait." Ben's hands reach up and grasp his father's wrist, confusion causing his nerves to swirl even more so. "New York, dad, Rey never came to see me in New York."

"Benny, trust me, she did. Your mother gave her the money."

He was going to faint or throw up. All six foot plus of himself was going to hit the wooden floor that so many grooms had nervously paced. Han pulled him to one of the chairs, disappearing from Ben's blurry view until he appeared with a glass of water and his mother by his side, ordering him gently to sip the water slowly.

"I don't understand, the last time I saw Rey before yesterday was the night she left," he murmurs almost to himself.

"Rey came back a week after she turned eighteen, she'd practically hitchhiked to get back to Hanna and when you weren't here…"

"She was devastated kid," Han finishes quietly, his gaze meeting Leia's as they both share a sad look at the memory.

"I always felt guilty for calling Child Services, but it was the right thing to do," Leia's voice rises for a moment when she sees the familiar flare of anger cross Ben's face and the argument they had endured on the topic begin on his lips, "so I gave her the money, she wanted it to be a surprise." 

"But… why didn't she see me?"

Leia's perfectly manicured brows furrowed in confusion, her hand gently gripping Ben's black trousered-clad knee. "She said your girlfriend told her you didn't want to see her."

*

Ben's hand tightened into a fist as he knocked potentially too hard on the door, Kaydel's father opened the door a few minutes later.

Kaydel shared a lot of similarities with her father; the same dark eyes and pale complexion, and the scowl that crossed their features when being disturbed.

"It's bad luck to see the bride," Snoke practically sneered, straightening himself to try and intimidate Ben in returning to wait out the start of the ceremony in his room. 

In New York, it would have worked, Snoke was the boss in his pinstriped thousand-dollar suits and Ben had idolised the power and respect the man had demanded, but that all seemed to have fallen away because they weren't in New York anymore.

Shoving his way in, Ben's eyes catch Kaydel's in the mirror, a twin to the one in his own. He doesn't turn to look at Snoke when he replies, "I'll take my chances."

Neither fiancé speaks as Kaydel's father closes the door behind him. Ben doesn't look at the perfectly white, mermaid cut gown with pearls and little diamonds framing the bust. His eyes take in the way Kaydel's blonde locks as swept back in a dramatic fashion with her make up red carpet-worthy perfect.

The only thing Ben can manage is to say, "We need to talk."

_ Then _

The beaten leather bag hung heavy on her shoulder, fighting her way through the masses of students until she connected hard with a body coming in the opposite direction.

"Shit," the female voice scoffed as both their bags scattered objects across the pavement. Righting herself, Kaydel practically sneered at the stupid girl who had caused her to stumble. 

Taking in the fresh face, panicked expression at the number of students exiting NYU classes, she speaks up. "Watch where you're going next time?"

A smirk played at her perfectly glossed lips at the way the brunette flinched at her tone, it had been a few weeks since the start of term and Kaydel was already building her reputation that she was as ruthless as her father was renowned for.

"I'm sorry, I'm not from around here." Kaydel took in the scuffed black converse, the faded greed tank top that frayed at the edges from being washed too many times and the skinny jeans that were beginning to lose their shape.

"No shit, Sherlock." Thrusting her dolce blazered shoulder past the girl, she began to strut to meet her friends when she felt a hand gently grasp at her. 

"Wait, please, my name's Rey."

"Not interested," Kaydel called back, her attention back to her phone and wondering about the cute boy that had not yet replied to her message.

She had spotted him in a few of her classes at the beginning of the semester. Ben was fast becoming the best thing about Kaydel's college experience; he was tall, not stereotypically handsome like most of the guys she dated, but the deep tone of his voice and the constant sneer he walked around with had her burning up at the thought. 

They had been dating for months, to be fair, she hadn't given him much of a choice and she was the happiest she had ever been. "Please, I'm looking for a student who’s enrolled here"

"His name's Ben Solo." Kaydel stumbled, her heels catching at the name that clicked in her mind as it was uttered by the stranger. Spinning slowly, her eyes raked once more up to the girl before her, taking in her cheap clothes and the weird three bun hairstyle that she'd forced her split end-ridden brown hair into and plastered the sweetest smile she could.

"Oh my god, you’re Rey! I'm so sorry, I'm such a ditz. I never realised." Rey smiled, a look of relief washing across her features as her shoulders relaxed.

"You know Ben?" Her tone hopeful, Kaydel catching on for the first time the English accent.

"Well, I sure hope so, he's my boyfriend silly." She saw it instantly, the hope splinter and crash as the words sunk in. 

Ben had told her the story, after a stupid amount of alcohol, before they were even a thing. He had told her about the girl he thought he belonged with, how he had his heartbroken when the girl of his dreams got in a car and had driven away.

Kaydel had listened intently, her eyes sympathetic as she stroked the swell of his arm (taking in the subtle beginnings of muscle) before gently pressing her lips to his to chase away this shadow girl from his past.

And now the shadow was here, ready to fuck up Kaydel's life plan?

_ Hell no! _

"Look, sweetie," her hand rested gently against the girl's already quivering shoulder, the tears causing her hazel eyes to glaze over. "Ben told me everything and I think it's for the best that you leave."

"But I need to speak..."

"You hurt him Rey, and I've just started to help him heal, do you really want to break him again?"

A tear fell, Rey, swiping it away as she practically begged on the busy streets of New York. "But I need to apologise."

"He doesn't want to hear it," the sweetness falls from her tone, Kaydel invading her face as the look of disgust she's been hiding below the surface bubbles forth. "He’s moved on to bigger and brighter things, Ben's life in New York, why would he want an orphan like you when he's got me?"

Her words hit the target. She snorted as Rey turned and bolted in the opposite direction, lost in the crowd.

"Hey Kay, who was that?" Ben's voice jolted Kaydel from her view, her smile turning full-blown as she pushed up onto her tiptoes, kissing those plump, full lips and smiling into Ben's dark eyes.

"No one baby, ready to go?" Taking his hand, she never felt so good.

_ Now _

"Rey came to New York." It’s more of a statement than a question, sitting with both hands in his hair, he can't help but repeat that same statement.

"Rey came to New York." 

"Ben…"

"You lied to me." It’s the first time he's ever seen anything remotely looking like a sheepish expression cross Kaydel's features. "Kay, after all these years, why didn't you tell me?" 

"Because, I knew that if you had seen her, we wouldn't have had a chance." Kaydel avoids Ben's gaze, staring down at the engagement ring on her finger. "This doesn't change anything Ben, we are still going out there and we are still..."

"Kay, stop," Ben's voice raises slightly to combat Kaydel's own. "This changes  _ everything _ , but I want to know why you lied."

"You were the best at college, everyone knew it, and at the firm, you're the best and I deserve the best," the venom in Kaydel's tone shocks Ben slightly, he can feel himself pulling away and his anger simmering.

"I'm not some fucking trophy husband Kay," he barks, standing to his feet as he stares out the window, the main street can be seen slightly.

"No, but you would ruin my reputation by choosing some small-town baker orphan instead?!" 

"Yes, I would!" Ben bellows back. He hears Snoke wrenching the door open and yelling, asking what the hell is going on.

"No one makes an idiot out of me." Kaydel stares up at Ben, looking more like her father by the second.

"And no one threatens a Solo," Ben bites back. Straightening, he speaks at both Snoke's, "There won't be a wedding today."

As he moves to leave, he feels Kaydel's hand on his elbow a murderous look on her face. "I'm sorry Kaydel, I don't want to lie to you, but I can't get married." Sighing deeply, he takes no satisfaction in what he's about to say, "because I kissed Rey last night and I'm still in love with her."

For someone standing just over five feet, Kaydel's right hook packs a punch. Ben's left ear is ringing as his former fiance screams blue murder in his direction, it isn't helped as he turns at the door and says politely, "I hear the ginger guy from accounting is single. Hux, I think his name is."

*

She won't look at the clock, she won't stare at the grandfather clock in the corner as she has been since that morning.

The cake's completed, boxed up, ready to be driven to the venue, but Rey can't seem to drag herself from the counter. Her finger strums across the glass, her eyes falling back to the clock before she can realise and pull them away.

The magazines in the corner are perfectly parallel to the lines of the coffee table, the scrumptious treats all baked to perfection under the glass displays.

The sun's shining outside, the birds chirping at each other as couples and families mosey around Hanna's Main Street, but Rey can't seem to pull herself from this black mood.

With every gaining minute, her heart cracks even more. She can't help imagining what's occurring at the church a few miles from where she stands. How Ben looks in his suit, if his hands shake as he waits at the end of the altar, or if he can manage to get through his vows without his voice cracking with emotion.

"Rey, you ok?" Finn appears from the kitchen, cupcakes in an array of colours on the tray in his hands.

"Yeah, sure, why?" Finn stares at her for a moment before he gently replies.

"Because you're crying, sweetie." Rey's hand reaches up to her cheek and, sure enough, the pads of her fingers come away wet. Sniffling, she reaches forward for a serviette while mumbling something about allergies.

"Do you want me to take that later?" Finn gestures to the box marked Solo, his features full of understanding kindness. "I don't mind."

"Yeah," Rey begins, embarrassed by how her voice breaks slightly, "that would be.."

The glass of the entrance slammed hard against the wall, startling them both. Staring, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, Rey gapes at a heavily breathing, black suit wearing Ben Solo.

"Ben, what are you doing?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" He demands, his fingers pulling away from the pale pink tie at his neck and barely noticing it drop to the ground.

"Tell you what?" Rey finally manages to ask, not seeing how Finn has made himself scarce in the back. "Ben, why are you here?"

"New York, Rey!" Her eyes widened, her heart drops at the memory of when the future she always hoped and planned for crashed and burned.

"It was irrelevant." She feels the blush at Ben approaching, embarrassment fueling the blush of her skin at how naive she had once been. "Kaydel made it clear how you felt about a small-town orphan."

"No, baby," the pained word shock Rey into looking up at Ben, his dark brown eyes staring at her in earnest.

"Rey." He’s standing almost behind the counter, Rey can feel the heat from his body, the way his chest seems to rise and fall at a rate that would suggest he's run all the way from the church. "I'm sorry about last night. I never knew you came to New York."

"Wait, Kaydel didn't…" Ben shakes his head slowly, a sob escapes from Rey as she practically whimpers, "it's too late Ben, that was then and this is…"

"Now," Ben cuts her off, invading her space, gently wiping the tears that continue to fall. "I couldn't go through with it Rey. I couldn't marry Kaydel, and do you know why?"

She shakes her head, so infatuated by Ben's intense gaze that words seem to fail her. 

"My dad told me to imagine my life ten, twenty years from now and I didn't see Kaydel, because I could only see  _ you _ ."

"Ben," Rey gasps, her tear-stained lips press against Ben's own as they both try to pour the amount of emotion they can with the simple gesture.

"I love you," whispering in his ear, she feels the shudder that erupts across his skin. 

He pulls some of the hair that's fallen from her buns and gently replies, "I loved you then, and here and now, I love you even more."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read, comment and kudos this short little fic that I enjoyed writing so much! 
> 
> To my beautiful friend @Azuwrite for the betaing & fabulous moodboard.
> 
> Enjoy ♡

[ ](https://ibb.co/8djt0tb)

_ Then _

Ben had never thought about if he'd ever get married, didn't care much for what flowers the bride would hold in her bouquet, the music that would play and the dress that his wife-to-be would wear, but sitting here in his family sitting room with Rey snuggled against his side, he can't help but let his mind drift.

Rey had begged him to watch this movie, he had bitched and moaned, but when she had kissed him gently and promised he could choose the next, Ben had begrudgingly settled down to watch The Runaway Bride.

He had watched Julia Roberts be mocked for her many attempts down the aisle, seen how the weddings had differed to suit the groom while the bride had been swept up in planning and chaos until she bolted for the door (the one time she dragged a small child was hilarious).

But as they watched her and Richard Gere say ‘I do’ at the end, surrounded by nature and nothing else but each other, Ben couldn't help but imagine how perfect that would be.

"I love the ending," Rey spoke, pulling away to stretch out her limbs before moving back into Ben's warmth. "Simply perfect."

_ Now _

His fingers didn't shake as he straightened out the buttons of his shirt, an exciting rush of adrenaline quivered in his chest.

He could make out the laughter in his parents' backyard, friends and family joined together to witness one of the most important events of his life.

Once he's ready, he sits on the edge of his bed. Taking in the walls of his childhood room, the posters of bands he remembers him and Rey listening to on the beat-up CD player he found at a yard sale.

Art exhibition leaflets and sketches tacked to the board above the desk pushed into the corner, which he's sure still holding some random piece of homework he forgot to submit at some point. 

The green walls that he remembers painting, getting into trouble with his mom when she came to check on progress and found more paint on himself and Rey than on the actual walls.

With every fibre, this place exuded the pair and it was the same for Ben. For so long he had tried to be someone he was not, tried to fill some imaginary destiny that didn't fit to the person he wanted to be.

He had been a ruthless lawyer, so unkind and cruel that he could barely look at himself in the mirror despite the Armani suit he usually wore.

All his actions had been the opposite to what he planned; a stubborn, childish middle finger, influenced by how he believed Rey had abandoned him.

But that was the point.

In every action Ben did, he always had Rey in his mind.

And now six months after returning home to Hanna Town, he feels like the person he has always meant to be. Set to open his own small-town defence office, he's traded his suit most days for a pair of jeans and a Henley. 

He tries to help Rey with the bakery, but he mostly spends half of his time taking pictures of the place or of his home town.

But the big difference for Ben, he can look at himself in the mirror again.

"Ready kid?" Han asked, standing by the door. His suit a similar shade to Ben's navy one, his features exuding a mixture of pride and excitement. "Need a hand with your tie?"

Ben chuckles softly, his hand reaching up and smoothing the teal silk that reminded the engaged couple of the ocean. "No, I'm good."

"Well then, let's go kid."

*

Standing in the Organa-Solo backyard were the most important people in Ben's life, Luke waiting to officiate on his right, his dad resting his hand reassuringly on Ben's shoulder.

His mother smiled warmly, hair braided perfectly and dressed fashionable and stylish, with an ease that only Leia could achieve, while she walked hand in hand with the most stunning woman Ben had ever seen.

The people around them faded, the birds singing in the trees around them quieted as if in awe and the only thing in Ben and Rey's universe were each other.

The ivory material swayed with every step, flowing like it was a part of a dream, the soft sweep of the train as it fell to the floor and the crystals across the neckline blew Ben's mind.

Rey's hair pulled in a braid of her own, the simple elegance that she had wanted for the moment she became Mrs Solo had been achieved.

Ben didn't realise he was crying until Rey reached him, gently cupping his face, she wiped away his tears. 

"You look beautiful," he managed to speak, many of their audience caught up with Ben's emotions. His bride smiled, a gesture he could paint, if he was so talented, from memory.

"So do you."

*

The cake was cut, a masterpiece of the bride's baking. The photos had been taken, mostly by the groom, and the party was in full swing.

Rey's head rested against her husband's chest while they swayed to a slow track on the empty makeshift dance floor that had been constructed after the service. 

Guests have come and gone, the sound of waiting staff beginning to tidy up drifts from the tables, but the happy couple continues to enjoy the moment.

"I wish I could relive this day over and over," Rey almost speaks to herself, the only acknowledgement from Ben is the tightening of his arms around her waist and the brush of his lips against her hair. 

"Today was perfect Ben." Pushing away for a moment, she smiles with watery eyes at her husband. "I love you so much."

"Hey," his hand rests against her cheeks, gently pulling her forehead to rest against his own. "Do you know when I realised I loved you?"

The small shake of Rey's head makes Ben go on, "It was the moment you walked into class. I didn't understand what the feeling was back then, but I know it was love because here and now, the excitement, the way every time I look at you I feel like my heart's about to beat out of my chest."

"I love you, Mrs Solo."

"I love you too, Mr Solo."

_ Time will come, _

_ Change will too  _

_ But here and now _

_ I'm so in love with you. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ♡♡

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I had so much fun writing this!!
> 
> ♥♡♥


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